The New York Chaos Case
by Cash Lawliet
Summary: L finds himself bored and takes a new case that instead of being evidence free, it's full of it. Too much, actually, so he decides to help the detective in charge of the case. Rating may change due to violence. L
1. Boredom

**Disclaimer-I do not own Death Note or any of its characters...sadly.**

Running his dark, dead-looking eyes over the last big case that needed to be solved with his expertise and intellect, L realized that he was quite bored. He had spent his last few weeks alone, with the exception of his caretaker, benefactor, and the closest thing he had to a father, Watari. But that was no surprise. He wasn't exactly a sociable person, and one did not get to being the number one detective in the world by meeting and greeting people that he met randomly out in the street, or even by showing himself in public. Having a mysterious identity also helped keep his enemies at bay while simultaneously keeping them on their toes. An unknown enemy is the worst kind, and L took every advantage of that fact to make himself known around the world.

As he was reviewing the last piece of evidence that would inconspicuously pin the criminal on that particular case, Watari came in carrying the usual laptop that was used for communicating with all the different police agencies across the globe. At this particular moment, there was only one file on the desktop, unlabeled and as interesting as unlabeled files on computers go.

"I suppose that you have a new case for me, Watari?"

"Right you are, Master L. I thought this might entertain you for a while, seeing as these past cases are hardly stimulating for your capacity. Besides, I think that this one might actually keep you busy for a while."

"And why would that be?" was the reply from the odd young man squatting in his chair, teetering on the edge, his right hand resting on his knee and his left thumb to his mouth.

"Because of the evidence." Watari answered cordially, as always.

"Is it like the other so-called impossible cases: with no evidence conclusive enough to draw a conclusion upon which to convict the criminal?"

"Actually, Master L, you might be surprised to find that this particular case has a bit too much evidence found at crime scenes. The police is unable to discern between the victim's clues, the killer's, and other apparently random information that leaves them confounded."

The last statement from the aged man in the suit caught the young detective's attention. Watari gave him the laptop, upon which his charge placed it on the desk in front of him, pushing aside other files, envelopes and a wide variety of candy wrappers. As soon as the file opened, he immediately read through the basic M.O. of the killer, as well as digging through the pictures of the total of three murders that had occurred. Indeed, there was quite a bit of evidence at the crime scene.

The first thing that could be noticed from the images was the blood. There was an inhuman amount of it around the body. It appeared to be as if the victim were lying in a giant puddle of the dark red liquid. Definitely not the amount that could be found within the human body, but the odd part was that it seemed as if it were separated in different shades. Some of it was deep scarlet, other bits were nearly black, and yet others were a rich crimson. It was also in several patches. At least three other transitions could be devised on the first image, four on the second, and finally five on the third image.

Then, scattered around the body, there were several other clues that were given. There were images of hairs recovered from the scene, fingernails, notes cut out of what looked like newspaper and magazines and arranged into a certain order to form what were suicide, apology and even greetings to police. Several fingerprints were found on these notes, and most of them seemed to be only partial. Again, there seemed to be a pattern of ascending order in the amount of evidence.

Finally there was the body. It was a grotesque sight, since the victims shirts had been removed. Two men and a woman. These three suffered a horrific death, that much was certain, but the cause was not exactly clear since they had numerous cuts, bruises, scars, gaping wounds and even several patches that looked like bite marks. They all appeared to have been stabbed with a variety of tools, and some even looked as if they had been drilled or sawed. Their throats appeared as though they had been destroyed as well. There were fine white lines that suggested they had been strangled with rope, but the neck itself also seemed to have been crushed with an amazing force. L noted that even on their bodies, the victims seemed to carry more clues as each one took place.

With a tone that hardly suggested he was interested in the case he stated, "Well, I can definitely see what you meant by too much evidence, Watari. It is quite obvious, even to the most oblivious person, that the killer leaves a variety of clues that all seem to be there to confound the police forces. Also, judging from the amount of these left behind, we can deduce that more victims mean more clues, thus the priority of solving this case before there is simply too much of an overload of information and the killer will become that much harder to catch"

"So shall I contact the FBI and let them know you are willing to cooperate with the case?" Although the old man was certain of what the answer would be, he asked anyway.

"You very well know the answer to that question, Watari. I find it ridiculous for answering as such after seeing the files, but I suppose you try to keep a communication link between us."

"Right you are, Master L. I'll do so at once."


	2. Contact

**Here's the second chapter to my first fic. It's still a work in progress, but reviews would be appreciated.**

**I do NOT own Death Note or any of its characters...if I did, I'd be extremely happy.**

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Alexandra Talbot had a very interesting morning. She had woken up late to get to work, thus causing her to make a ruckus and rushing all around her house. She barely had time to take a short shower, tie her black, flowing hair into a ponytail and slip her slender, tall form into a pair of black pants, a white long sleeve shirt and a black vest. She quickly looked at herself in the mirror, and the usual attractive face looked her over before she left. Alex was never a woman that bothered to wear makeup, as whales and other animals did not need to be killed to make her feel nice. She never was much of a person to take much care into her personal appearance anyway. Glancing into her fathomless gray eyes for a second, she rushed out into her garage, got into her car and drove to 200 McCarty Avenue in Albany, New York.

As soon as she walked into the Federal Bureau of Intelligence, her shoes squeaking from the recent rain that had been falling recently in the city, a strange person in a long trench overcoat accompanied by a wide brimmed hat approached her. The man, she assumed, hid his face under his clothing, but walked up to her as if he had known her for a long time.

"Miss Talbot?" his voice sounded muffled.

"Who wants to know?" She responded, a bit startled by being met by a stranger but piqued by curiosity.

"I believe I have a contact that may help you a bit with the case you have been recently assigned to. I have gathered that you and the rest of the agency in general has had a fit of trouble getting anywhere with the recent murders around the state? I do believe you have aptly named it the Chaos Case."

Alex was startled. Here was a man that had access to information that was classified to the agency and the agency alone! Who did he think he was? She knew she had had trouble gathering concrete evidence that could help them find a suspect, let alone convict the killer. She had recently been assigned to the case nearly four months ago around the time the murders had started, and it was her first big case. She had been drafted into the FBI half a year ago, and had shown a brilliance that was not common in a twenty eight year old. Proving her worth assisting some of her superiors in their own difficult cases using her logic and a sound reason, the higher ups recognized her skill. Now she had the most important case of her short career and was getting absolutely nowhere. If this stranger could offer her some help, why not take it?

"Very well. Would you please come into my office, Mister…?"

"You may call me Watari."

Watari. Why did that name sound familiar? Alex was certain she had never met the man, but that name rung a bell somewhere in her memory.

"Very well, Mister Watari. Follow me. Just allow me to register you into the visitor's list and we can be off."

The cloaked figure just responded, "No need to, madam. I have full access wherever I wish in this building, as well as any of the other facilities of the Bureau around the country."

Alex was taken aback by this, but decided not to pursue it any further. She led this Watari person to the elevator, and pressed the up button. It arrived shortly and they both got in. The whole ride was an uninterrupted quiet except for the light muzak music playing in the suspended box. Starting to get fidgety, Alex realized that she had not had her morning coffee. That could not be good. When she didn't have her morning coffee she tended to get irritable over little things, and she couldn't do so with the mysterious man standing next to her.

With a ding, the elevator doors slid open, and they both walked out. On the way to her office, which was at the far end of the corridor, Alex served herself a cup of a warm French vanilla coffee. Instantly, her nerves were reduced and she could think much more clearly now. She fumbled a bit with the keys in her small purse, selecting the correct one and unlocking her door. Walking in first, she allowed Watari to enter before shutting the door behind him.

"Very well, mister Watari. What is it that you can help me with on this case?" she asked while taking a sip of coffee and observing the strange man in front of her.

His response was to walk up to her desk and start to pull something out from the inside of his coat. Alex started, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and wouldn't lock him into a full nelson just yet. It turned out to be the right call, for the cloaked figure pulled out a sleek white laptop and set it on her desk. He opened it, inserted a microphone into one of the ports, adjusted it so it was facing her and pressed a button.

A white screen flickered to life. In the middle of it was an old English text L. Alex was shocked. Could this be the infamous L that every government official had heard about? Was he about to offer his help solving this impossible case? Her stomach flipped. She wasn't a genius like this man was. She had merely solved the previous cases through common sense and logic, she had reasoned. How could she possibly contribute to the greatest detective in the world? She had always had a bit of insecurity tucked away, but now she was terrified. She froze and her mind went blank. It wasn't until a distorted voice came through the speakers that she snapped out of it and her full attention was on the screen.

"Greetings, miss Alexandra. I am L."

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**It's odd how many of the fics here end with exactly that phrase, no? Makes it easier to pull something out of the sleeve, I supose. Well I'm still going to continue, but with school, it might take a while. Reviews are again, greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoyed, beautiful public! **


	3. Speculations

**Well, here's the third chapter. Finally getting somewhere, eh? Reviews are appreciated. I'll try to upload soon. Have fun people!**

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"Very well, Miss Talbot, we meet at last." That strange, distorted voice came from the speakers again. But Alex was too deep in shock to realize it was talking to her. Here she was, in direct, one on one contact with the most brilliant detective in the world. More still, he wanted to help her! She was almost too caught up in that fact to notice that she would have to basically turn in four months of investigation to this person. But she didn't really care. If it meant solving the case, she would do anything. Yet her body was still frozen and her face felt numb.

"Miss Talbot? Are you feeling well?" L could see her shocked expression through the camera built in to the monitor, and he had to admit, his faith in her diminished a little. Was he supposed to collaborate with this woman that looked as if she'd seen a ghost? He was a bit disappointed, but decided to try and snap her out of it.

"Alexandra Talbot! Would you mind paying attention to the matter at hand, please?" surprise, surprise, it did the trick.

Hearing her name brought Alex back to reality. "Pardon me, Mister L. It's just a bit shocking to think that the greatest detective in the entire world is willing to assist me in this case that I have literally gotten nowhere with since I was assigned to it three months ago."

L allowed himself a small smile, "Ah Miss Talbot. I beg to differ. You say you have gotten nowhere? You cannot honestly tell me that with your record of analytical skills and an apparent intelligence that is greater than most, you do not even have speculations to anything relying on the case?" He allowed her a few moments to think about it, although he was sure of the answer, which came soon after.

"Well…" she faltered. She had indeed some suspicions and some leads to the killer, but those were quite obvious so she had only bothered to mention them to her boss, to which he confirmed her fears by saying that she needed to dig deeper and figure out how the killer acted, how the victims were killed, and who was next. All questions that were fairly difficult for her to answer, even if they had a bit more information to support any thoughts. She took another sip of her coffee, which had gotten cold and managed to say what was on her mind.

"I know this might come on as obvious to someone as brilliant as you, but there are several things that I noticed while looking at the file, and especially the pictures. Mainly is the override of information and clues that the killer leaves behind. Another is that the amount of clues increase as the killer progresses with his crimes. Again, this might seem obvious, but I believe that if the killer continues to go uncontested, he could very well leave such a disaster of evidence that it will be more than impossible to stop, which is why we must act quickly to prevent any more murders. Also, while it is possible that some of that evidence is indeed the victim's, I believe that most of it was planted there for what appears to be no more reason than to throw the police force off."

L gave himself a small moment of personal thought and then spoke through the microphone in front of him. "Exactly the assumptions I had made, Miss Talbot. Often the most obvious observations are overlooked, causing one to delve too deeply into looking for some obscure meaning, which is exactly what I believe is happening here. Instead of looking through every shred of evidence that was left behind by this madman, we should concentrate on the main points of it. By this I mean that look through the different samples of blood, for we can see that there are many different sources of it at the crime scene; on the fingerprints because these are one of a kind and cannot be duplicated, no matter who this killer is; and finally on the amount of these that are found. If we can go through them and find something odd about them, certainly we will find a real clue to this mystery."

Taking another small sip of coffee, Alex sighed. She was in control of herself again. "I agree completely, Mister L. However, it would be negligent by the part of my team to avoid testing the DNA for the biological samples that were recovered with the bodies. And we have done so, only to discover that in the first murder, two of the three samples of blood belonged to unsolved cases over five years ago and the other belonged to the second murder victim. In the second, these same two samples appeared, one of the others was of yet another unsolved murder case and the fourth was of the third victim. It would be logical then, to assume that the third incident would have a clue as to who the next victim could be. However, the murder has been inactive for the past two months, and this time around, none of the blood samples belonged to any living person registered in the state of New York, which then made the case go cold for a while. I must admit that my team, as well as myself, were extremely excited when we found the link between the first and second murders, despite the loss of human life. And as bad as it may sound, we were hopeful to catch the killer when the third murder took place, but sadly we have nowhere to go from there. As for the fingerprints, it appeared as though they were all inverse copies of each victim's successor, and those have gone cold as well, since the third victim had his own fingerprints all over the place, and we haven't been able to find another set besides that."

Finishing off the small sucker that he had been consuming, L opened a small bag of gummy bears that was lying next to him. Fishing a green one out, examining it for a slight second and finally popping it into his mouth, he turned his attention back to the woman that stood in her office, sipping her coffee. He chewed the gummy bear's head off as he pondered what the FBI agent had just said, swallowed the treat and pulled another one out as he came to a conclusion.

"Miss Alex. Has it by any chance occurred to you that the evidence that was planted is too old to be of common use to the public? Also considering the fact that they were all unsolved murder cases from five years ago, is it not possible that the killer could be someone in the police force, or even go as high as being a member of the FBI? Of course, it's not safe to jump to conclusions, but given that the killer had access to those samples from both the past cases as well as the next target's, I can say that there is about a twenty percent chance that this killer works with the law enforcement. And, if I may say so without being impertinent…why in the world did your team not figure the connection between each victim sooner?"

Alex shifted slightly. The question made her uneasy, even if she had seen it coming. The truth was, she didn't really know herself. She supposed that it was because of the giant amount of data that was left at the crime scene, it took too much time to analyze it all to reach a concrete conclusion and predict who the next victim would be. That was the excuse she decided to use.

"Well, those tests take time, don't they? What with the sifting through all the evidence to see what could have traces on it, then booking an appointment with the super intelligent, better-than-everyone-else techies. And then, as I said, there's the matter of time. It's not like we can figure out whose DNA it is in the instant that we ask the forensics! They need their own time in turn to sort out the samples from each other, since they were all mixed, and organize their time so that they can fit them in with the rest of their busy schedule…"at that point, she ran out of excuses and was left holding her coffee with both hands close to her chest, her self confidence could obviously be seen that it had been reduced greatly.

L was finishing his last gummy bear as she was simultaneously putting the last part of the feeble attempt to convince him into play. Not surprisingly, he didn't buy it. "Miss Talbot…if I may say, take care of yourself. The culprit could easily be closer than you think, and it would not be good for anyone if you should fall prey to him."

This last comment struck Alex. Could the killer be part of her team? Or from the forensics department? She knew most of them and was sure that they wouldn't turn to taking other human lives. She was genuinely worried at that point. Her mind kept going over all the people she knew at work…sure, they were odd people, but you had to be different to be in the Bureau. You couldn't just be a regular Joe and expect to be a part of the FBI. She couldn't really pin one as a killer, but then again, they could all very well be one. Her expression must have been read easily, for L spoke:

"I am sorry if I have distraught you, Miss Talbot. I merely meant that the information we have all appears to point to the possibility that the killer is part of the FBI. I merely meant that you should watch your back and be on your toes at all times. We never know when the killer might strike, and we certainly don't want you to be a part of the death toll, Miss."

A short silence passed. Alex finished her coffee and set it down on her desk next to the laptop, and at the same time L was unwrapping a chocolate bar. He bit into it, enjoying the smooth cocoa flavor, thinking about the case. He shifted a bit in his sitting position to feel a bit more comfortable. It really was a shame he always had to walk around hunched, and even more annoying that he had to sit in that position. If it didn't increase his deductive prowess, he would gladly sit like a semi-normal person. He pondered the information that the FBI agent had given him, when she jumped up in surprise.

"What happened, Miss Alex? Is everything all right?"

"My phone. I just got a message…"

"Anything relevant?"

"Oh, I should think so…the killer just struck again."


	4. Blindness

**I do not own Death Note or any of its characters! **

**Well, finally we arrive at the fourth chapter of this story. Took a long time, eh? Oh well, I suppose it was worth it. ENJOY!**

**R&R**

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"I see. Somehow I'm not that surprised. Are you, Miss Talbot?" L inquired after slightly widening his eyes, not that his new partner could tell of course. He quietly waited for her to formulate an answer as he unwrapped yet another treat from a bowl that was on the desk in front of him. He popped it into his mouth, chewed it slowly, allowing the sweetness and the delectable flavor go around his mouth. He mused for a bit his favorite theory that if more people ate more sweets, they could think clearer and would be much more cordial towards each other. However, he knew it wasn't possible. People were rotten to the core, and no amount of sweets could ever fix that. This killer was a clear example of that. How could someone consciously plan out a murder to this extent, planting evidence in such an intricate way and then mutilate a body before and after taking an individual's life? Of course, the world was not headed straight for the gutter, as there were people that fought for justice, such as himself and the FBI agent that was standing in the middle of her office.

"Not really, Mister L. I must say that I kind of saw it coming, but to be honest, I don't know what to expect from this. I'm sort of glad we have another shot at catching the murderer, but I don't want to see yet another extinguished body lying there in the middle of a chaos of clues that we can't sort out yet. Worse still is the fact that you've pointed out the very possible scenario in which one of my own team members is either the killer, or is an accomplice. But we mustn't linger any more than we have to. I need to get to the crime scene immediately." She straightened her attire up, brushed some stray strands of hair out of her face and strode out of the office. From the amazing quality of the camera that was installed into the sleek laptop, L could see a fire burning in her eyes. He'd certainly made the right choice in siding with this woman instead of her superiors or other team members. She had a strong sense of justice, and it was clear that she was willing to do anything to have it served. While some defects such as a low self esteem could be observed from her, L was sure that with his help, this woman could definitely solve the case.

"Watari?" came from the speakers.

"Yes, Master L?" stepping out of the shadow in the office and into the camera view was the caretaker.

"What do you think of this woman?"

"Well to be honest, she has a serious problem with herself. It seems as though she doesn't have such a high regard of her accomplishments, and those are surprising, especially at an age as young as hers. Also, I can see that she can tell the difference between right and wrong with incredible ease. Besides, she seems trustworthy enough. In my honest opinion, Master L? You definitely made the correct choice."

"Thank you, Watari. I was thinking exactly the same thing. Would you mind coming back to the apartment? And one more thing, I'm running low on my sweets. Could I possible bother you to stop by at a store and get me more?"

The old man smiled. "Of course, Master L. I will be there momentarily." With that, the old man pressed the power button under the monitor, closed the computer, put it back into his overcoat and walked out of the building into the clearing skies.

At that moment, Alex was heading towards the new crime scene where she had been informed the fourth body had been found. This one was in Schenectady. It appeared as if the wave of murders were getting closer. The first had been in Rome, and the other two had occurred in Little Falls. Possibly after this one, the murderer would move on to the state capital, and then could have a wide variety of victims from which to choose from. She wanted to act quick and mercilessly. She needed to catch this killer soon. For if it was not so, the killer would continue on his murder spree, and that was something she could simply not allow. Following the criminal's pattern, she imagined that there would be at least three murders here in Schenectady, and then if still on the loose, proceed to five murders in Albany, but it was nearly impossible to tell. She needed her team, but they were all on break. Again, she ran her head over every member of the Bureau that was investigating with her. It was simply impossible for her to believe that any one of them could be the killer. She had worked with them only a short time, but had come to trust them with her life and she knew that they were honest and hardworking.

The forty five minute drive to the small city seemed eternal. Alex really didn't know what to expect from it. Most likely, the pattern for the clues would continue. What would go next? An uncanny amount of clues that will make it that much harder for her to figure out and capture the killer? It was a tiring thing to think about, so she put it at the back of her mind and focused on the road in front of her, trying not to remember that she was headed for a gruesome crime scene where she would have to piece together a puzzle that had all the pieces, but she was simply blind to them and could not put them together. But now, maybe with L's help, she could have a real chance of stopping this vicious wave of cruel, heartless murders and lock the killer up behind bars for the rest of his miserable life. In the middle of these thoughts, her cell phone rang. She fumbled a bit with one hand in her purse and the other on the wheel to find it. It took her another few seconds to find the hands free device and hook it up to the phone. Finally, she had the earphone in her ear and she pressed the answer button.

"Hello?" she hated talking on the phone while driving, but this call was from her work phone and only important people had the number, so she couldn't just drop the call.

"Miss Talbot? I heard you were on your way to Schenectady. I trust you are having a safe trip?" the voice sounded somewhat distorted through the earpiece, but Alex was sure that it was not her phone's problem, rather than the person calling. She glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was an unknown number. She tried not to get altered, but again, not many people had her phone number.

"Umm, who are you and how did you get this number?" trying her best not to sound worried, she spoke into the mouthpiece.

"Ah, forgive me, Miss Talbot. I forgot to introduce myself yet again, and with my distorted voice, I tend to have that particular unpleasant effect on people, but it's all for safety measures. This is L. I received information that you were headed out to the latest crime scene, so I looked up your number in the FBI files to wish you a safe trip. Also, I'd like to add that you be extremely careful and watch your back in Schenectady. The killer has just struck, and even though his Modus Operandi is to plant several clues at near the body, I'm sure he will not doubt in eliminating you, or at least keeping you somewhere until the preparations are made. It would be quite troublesome if you were dead, seeing as you're my main resource out in the field."

She was mildly surprised he could have gotten her number so easily, but then again, he was L. "Thank you, Mister L. I will definitely keep that in mind during my stay. I doubt I will take too long though. I can't really talk seeing as I'm driving, so I must say goodbye for now."

"Ah, of course. Excuse me. Good day, Miss Talbot." And with that, the line went dead. She hung up and put the phone back in her purse and continued on her way to meet with destiny.

"Well, Watari? What do you think?" L was again sitting his usual crouched way teetering on the edge of his seat, licking a sucker that he had just unwrapped. He tossed the empty wrapper onto a pile of others on the table in front of him and observed the case files again.

The old man stepped out of the shadows. He moved towards the table and brushed the wrappers into a wastebasket. He continued shuffling papers and organizing them as he spoke. "To be honest, Master L, I think that it was unwise for the young Miss Talbot to go to Schenectady by herself. Perhaps if we had assigned some bodyguards to her to ensure she was safe, I would be more at ease. But then again, you very well know my manner of worrying for everyone at the same time."

The pale looking detective shuffled a bit in his seat, poking through the files yet again. "I am glad you worry about her, Watari. However I was referring to the case, not the safety precautions of the detective."

"Ah, I see. Excuse me. Well if we observe the pattern of the killer, it appears as if he were going to murder two more people, planting greater amounts of clues in Schenectady, alternating between a man and a woman, then move on to another city. The most reasonable choice would be Albany, but then again, we never know. Taking in account the previous murders when the killer planted evidence from the previous victim, with no warning, this and the next possible crimes could present themselves to be anomalies as well."

"It appears you can read my mind, Watari. I was thinking the exact same thing. However, I feel that we may possibly have some time before the next victim appears. It will definitely take the perpetrator a fair amount of time to amass all the clues that will be planted, assuming that the pattern continues. In spite of it, it bothers me to think that this case could have been solved a while ago." Finishing the last sentence, L crunched the sucker in his mouth and proceeded to open a bag of gummy worms. He pulled out a green and blue one and slurped it like spaghetti.

"Quite true, Master L. Although…what do you mean when you say that the case could have been solved a long time ago?"

"It's quite simple. Take the example of the first murder. Weren't some of the DNA samples taken from the crime scene the second victim's? The same occurred as the second and third murder link. Then why did the FBI not see it and immediately rush to protect the next target? The possibility that the killer is somehow related to the Bureau seems to grow continuously. And I suspect one of the members of Alex's team."

"A very well reasoned assumption, Master L. I'm glad to see that the case proved to be a challenge to your intellect after all. At least you are not bored anymore." The old man set a bowl filled with more sweets in front of his young charge and stepped back. Observing the young man squatting on the chair, he saw a change that was rarely seen in the detective. Usually, L was just flat and monotonous, hardly ever getting worked up, excited or even seeming to care in the least about anything. But now, he could see that the odd, spiky haired, sleep deprived, sugar loving man was fiddling with his toes and crouching ever so slightly closer to the edge, right on the brink of falling off. This case was interesting, and L would get his chance to work his intellect. This case was proving interesting, indeed.

Alex made it to Schenectady with no further incidents or distractions, aside from a few stray sips of coffee from her thermos every so often. She arrived at a hotel that was close to downtown, cheap and with comfortable enough rooms to spend a night or two. Before heading out to the location where the fourth body had been found, she filled her black thermos up to the rim. Afterwards, she got in her car, wove in and out of city traffic and arrived at the small clearing where the victim's body had been discovered. Oddly enough, in that particular area of the clearing there was no grass or leaves or foliage of any kind. It was bare, hard dirt. Alex might have been overreacting, but it appeared to her that this scenario had been specially prepared for the occasion. The killer was becoming bolder, which in the long run would mean that he would get sloppy and make a mistake. Just one mistake. One mistake was all Alex needed and that psychotic sadist would be locked behind bars.

As was suspected, the amount of evidence that had been planted by the killer had increased. The various scraps of paper where littered all over the place, and there were still forensics examining all around the area for nails, hair and fingerprints that might lead to other clues. She examined the area a bit, taking in the gruesome sight of the young redheaded woman that lay there in an odd, straight position. Her hair was soaked with the blood around her head, and although she had her clothes on, the marks of the several injuries that had been inflicted was clearly visible. Some of them looked like they had been made with a kitchen knife, apparent from the long slits in her body. Others looked like they had been made with a pocketknife or a pair of scissors, as they were short wounds. And yet more of them looked like they had been made with an ice pick; the holes were very small but they looked deep. But all these were quite confusing, as many of them overlapped one each other, making the corpse look even more grotesque with the thin red lines with congealed blood on them contrasting highly against the pale body. Any normal person would have gagged or possibly thrown up from the gruesome sight, but not Alex. She was past that, a long time ago. Seeing mutilated bodies was always an unpleasant sight for her, but it was not so much because of the image. Being a very conscious person, she could not stand witnessing the loss of a life. To her, that was a crime that needed to be punished severely and with all the weight of the law. How some people could plan and carry out a murder was something she would never fathom. It was madness! No living being should do that to another, yet she knew that that was the way the world operated. People lived, people died. And there was not much she can do about it but catch the ones that committed the atrocity.

As she surveyed the scene a bit more, she could clearly see that the amount of clues planted had increased by the usual pattern. It seemed that they were getting less creative, the notes now just stating death, sadness, unfairness and evil. The puddles of blood were also smaller in size, which she assumed would make investigating the different victims' would be easier. The scene was fairly chaotic, but it seemed like an organized mess. The clues looked random, but they appeared to be evenly spaced from each other and a lot of them looked like they had been deliberately planted in that particular location. She took out a small handheld camera from her purse, blew a stray strand of hair from her eyes and snapped a few photographs. After that, the agent proceeded to send them to her e-mail so she could take another look at them when she got home.

Her phone rang, and she put away the camera and checked the caller ID. Unkown number. _"Must be L again" _she assumed and picked up. Evidently, it was indeed the great detective. "Miss Talbot? How is the investigation going?" no matter how often she heard that distorted voice, she couldn't get over the awkwardness of speaking back to it.

"Fine, I'm just surveying the scene. It appears the pattern continues. A person dies, and a huge mess of clues appear to make it incredibly difficult to figure out what to do." As she said this, a sudden idea dawned on her, but she was not really sure if it were appropriate to say it out loud.

The detective sensed her hesitation and inquired. "Miss Talbot? I get the feeling you just had a small epiphany. Please, do share it." The woman was startled at how accurately L could have found that out, so she went ahead and pointed out what was on her mind.

"I just had the thought that maybe, just maybe, the mess of clues aren't the real message here. Possibly, they are a distractor intended on keeping us busy and ignoring the real piece of evidence that could lead us to this murderer. I just considered that maybe this is all a game to him, and he wants to give us a clue in between the lines, so to speak. A game isn't fun if there's no challenge."

On the other side of the line, L was seemingly impressed. He had not expected her to think of this as soon as she did. Perhaps he underestimated her. "While I think that you are mostly right, Agent Talbot, I feel that I need to disagree on your point of view about the clues. Although I actually considered that possibility for a while, it seems highly improbable that the evidence that has been planted is completely random and meaningless. Also, we must hurry before the killer has time to prepare and carry out the next murder. I get the feeling that the next crime is going to take a lot less time than we might expect. All the same, we need to take the chaos of clues seriously. Something is keeping us from seeing the whole picture. There is a small part of this that doesn't quite fit, but we can't see it. All the pieces are there, and we just need to fit them together, but it's like we're running blind."

The logic astounded Alex. No wonder he was such a great detective. And he said it so eloquently, too. "I agree, Mister L. We need to get rid of this fit of blindness as soon as possible."

The reply was short, simple, and to the point. "Agreed."

Then, the line went dead and Alex was left on her own again.

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**Ok, there we go. Hope it doesn't take as long to upload the next chapter. Again, reviews are much appreciated!**


	5. Bravery

**Well, people here we are, a FEW months have passed since my last upload, and it was a matter of personal reasons, time, and mainly laziness. But I'm back and I finally finished the 5th chapter. Hope you enjoy! Don't really mind if you read and review or not, but it's always nice to get CONSTRUCTIVE feedback, wether it be good or bad I suppose.**

**And to SarcasticMoron, don't worry about annoying me. It's pretty much impossible to really irritate me. But as I said, here's the fifth chapter. And please do try to finish the heart Thief! I would like to see it finished XD**

**And obviously, I do NOT own Death Note or any of its characters.**

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Making the trip back home for the moment, trying to figure the next step to trying to catch the murderer, Alex opened the front door and walked into her home. It had that apple-cinnamon smell that she loved so much, and everything seemed to be just as she had left it before leaving. Her laptop computer was in her study as always, and the wine-colored Tunisian rug covering the floor was in its usual space occupying most of the living room floor. A bookshelf containing several novels, magazines and comic books stood in the corner, and next to it, propped on a small table, in front of her couch, was a television. She went over to the kitchen and stood still.

After a few seconds of silence and surveying the rest of her place, Alex placed her belongings on the small table in the living room. This stupid case was just getting tougher and tougher. Where was it all going? She had no idea. Taking a few moments to pace back and forth pondering everything, she eventually couldn't take it anymore. She rushed to the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine. A few bubbles later, the smell of the French vanilla rose up to her nostrils, and she inhaled it, appreciating how it calmed her down enough to think rationally. When the steamy sounds from the contraption stopped coming out, Alex pulled a mug from one of her cupboards and poured herself a serving. Taking a sip, she set it down and grabbed the sugar bowl from the pantry. Two generous tablespoons of sugar were just perfect for her. About to take another sip from the mug, her phone rang again. A little annoyed, she set the coffee down and went over to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Miss Alexandra Talbot. I trust you are having a pleasant evening?" the voice coming from the other line sounded distorted as well, but not in the way that L did. This one was done much sloppier, and the pitch sounded lower.

"Who is this? And how did you get my number?" despite the obvious shock she felt, Alex tried to remain calm and collected, determined to pull any useful information from this person that she could use to identify them. Many years working to retrieve information from people had taught her to listen carefully and honed her ability to pick up useful information from a relatively minor clue.

The voice coming from the speaker was cold, unforgiving and let off a feeling of complete lack of emotion, even through the distortion. It was that of a psychopath, definitely. One with a goal in mind and knew how to get it. "Why, how do you not know who your favorite hobby in these past few months is, Miss Talbot? I'm none other than the reason for your 'Chaos Case'. At your service."

Alex didn't need to use her investigating and analytical skills to tell that this person was telling the truth. How could anyone else have access to her phone number and be so bold as to call her? Not to mention freely confess that they were the person who had caused four deaths so far. Was there any reason that she should doubt this person? She didn't think so. There was some underlying motive to the call, but she couldn't know what it was at the moment.

"Why are you calling? And while I'm talking to you, do you realize the atrocities you have committed? How could any human in their right minds cause such pain and anguish, deforming a living, breathing human being into a bloody, torn up mess? I swear to god I will catch you and bring you to justice myself. Now tell me, why did you call?" she tried to not let her voice rise too much, but her emotions got the best of her and she ended up yelling during the last few parts of her outburst, which she knew is exactly what the killer wanted, for her to get aggravated.

"Why, why, Miss Talbot. Is there really any purpose to yelling at me? Now, I don't believe that that's any way to treat your adversary. And the purpose of my call? Quite simple really. I simply wanted to greet and get to meet a bit further my foe, and allow me to say that so far I'm not too impressed. You'll have to do better than that if you want to catch me." That simply got the detective over the edge, to which she let out an angry burst and slammed the phone down on the receiver.

The nerve of this person! To call her when she was in the comfort of her own home was a bold move indeed. It was also a very intelligent move, since it had the effect of putting Alex on cautious mode at all times, and it proved to her that the killer had access to her information. Not only was this an effective way of getting her to be on her toes all the time, it was intimidating tactics and the killer apparently hoped that Alex would shy away from the case a bit before anything happened to her. But it revealed to have the completely opposite effect. That the killer would go to such a length to try and throw her off the track, proved to her that she was indeed getting somewhere and fairly close to coming to a breakthrough. Instead of intimidating her, it fueled her up and she was determined to catch this murderer with a fiery passion that she had rarely felt before. It was now her goal in life. No longer was this just another case that she had to solve to further her career. This was personal, and she was going to catch this person no matter what. Alex would hunt the killer down to the depths of hell if need be, as long as she fulfilled her objective.

Despite that, she did feel a small pang of insecurity from the call, nevertheless she decided that it was time to take into account L's words and investigate a bit more on her coworkers. L didn't just say things like that out of the blue. He had a reason to do so, and Alex wanted to find out if the detective was right in his assumption or not. So she finished the last of her coffee, poured herself some more in her thermos and left. As she was making her way down to the gray, boring FBI building, her cell phone rang. It was an unknown number, and she debated whether or not to answer it, fearing that the killer had gotten her cell phone number as well. She decided to risk it, since she never gave her number to anyone, as it was for work. Only her superior and L of course, knew it. So she pulled over to the side of a street and answered. Talking on the phone in the middle of a busy city was not a good idea. She had seen too many accidents happen for that very reason, so whenever she was in the city, she'd pull over and answer.

"Hello?" her voice quivered a little, half hoping it was L and the other half hoping it was anyone else but the killer.

"Miss Talbot? Are you feeling well? You don't sound very good." Came the distorted voice she had come to recognize as L's. She gave a sigh of relief and relaxed.

"Yes, Mister L. I'm quite fine now. It's just the small fact that I received a very interesting call to my house phone earlier that made me somewhat nervous to answering you. If I may ask though, what is the reason you're calling?"

"Ah, that's interesting. Looks like I was too late then. Judging from what you just told me, and the motive of my call, I assume that you got a call from the killer? I suspected it was going to happen soon. Despite the time that you haven't made real progress on the case, now you're really getting somewhere, but we still don't know exactly what. So I thought that in the killer's place, I would use a tactic that was subtle, yet efficient to scare you and try to throw you off the case somewhat. However, with what I have learned about you, after getting this call, you had quite the opposite effect, didn't you? Your sense of justice prevented you from being scared, instead inspiring a passion to solve this case at any cost. Anyway, I was going to warn you about it, but obviously, my timing was a bit off."

There was a silence for a moment. Alex thought to herself that this man was unbelievable. It was as if he could read the killer's and her minds at the same time. A wave of utmost respect washed over her, accompanying that of the awe which she already had of the infamous detective. Her reply was short, simple, and not too deep, but it expressed her emotions as best she could at the moment. "Thank you." Was all she could muster up.

On the other side of the line, L was digging in to a slice of cheesecake covered with chocolate syrup, topped with whipped cream and a strawberry on top. He took a bite from it as she thanked him, and felt a twist in the pit of his stomach. It couldn't have been the cake, since it was delicious, as cakes should be. And it wasn't new for him to receive gratefulness from people he helped, but he sensed that this woman was transmitting true, pure feelings and conveyed them into those two words. It was something he had felt on extremely rare occasions, and for once, he was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to answer to it, as he wasn't accustomed to receiving those kinds of statements. The only thing he could think of saying was:

"You're quite welcome, Miss Talbot." Not a very eloquent sentence, as far as he considered it, but what else could he say?

"No need to get nervous, L. I just thanked you, after all." Alex was surprised that her small transmission of gratefulness would put the detective in an awkward position. It proved to her that he wasn't some sort of god and he was still as human as the rest.

"Alright. Anyhow, I must leave you know, as I assume you're busy making leads on the case. Have a good day, Miss Talbot."

"You too, Mister L. Have a nice rest of your day too." With that, she hung up, put her phone back in her purse and drove off to the office.

In the meantime, L was finishing his slice of cheesecake, playing with the strawberry, moving it around in circles around the plate, until he stabbed it with the fork and put it in his mouth. He pondered what had caused the agent to thank him in quite that way. All he had done was call her to make sure she was aware that the killer was going to contact her, and tell her not to get too scared. Maybe she thought that he had done it for some other reason? Intelligent as he was, women were still a mystery to L. He had never related to them much, and from what he experienced with them, he gleaned that they were very curious. They took things in a special way and had something about them that was a complete enigma to him. He cast the thought from his mind and focused on trying to figure out the killer's next move. Taking a hard candy from the bowl that Watari had set in front of him moments before; the raven-haired young man pondered the next step that he could take to catch the killer. Looking down at the candy he just unwrapped, he noticed it was grape flavored. He rather disliked it, but he decided that a sweet was a sweet after all, and if it would help him to deduce the next victim, why not go ahead and eat it. Two birds with one stone, as the saying goes. At that moment, a revelation came to him, and his usual bored, blank face was briefly, if only for a moment cast away to reveal surprise and possibly a tiny amount of fear. Now the pattern had truly revealed itself, and L was sure that he could find out who one of the next targets were. He lifted the receiver and dialed the number to convey the message.

Alex was trying to figure out the same thing, and she had barely come to the conclusion that the next victim would probably be male, but that much was certain from the pattern. She got up from her comfortable couch and moved over to the kitchen to serve herself another mug of coffee. She turned the machine on and paced back and forth, twirling a strand of her dark hair between her slender fingers. What was next? It was a man, most likely, but who? And how was the killer choosing them? It was a mind bearing task trying to predict a psychopath's next move, especially since that kind of people only understand themselves. While she still paced the seven steps that went from her kitchen counter to the living room, the phone rang yet again. It was amusing to her to think that she had been getting more calls to her home in the past week than she usually had in several months. Her home phone was not revealed to anyone, seeing as she had no immediate family that could call her and ask her how she was doing. That was alright with her, she liked living alone, no chains holding her down and no one to respond to other than herself…and her boss. She hesitated for a split second, wondering if it was the killer again, but after the third ring, she decided to risk it and picked up.

"Good evening, Miss Talbot. I do hope you are getting some rest before another hard day's work." It was the distorted, familiar voice of the detective that she had come to trust. For a moment, Alex wondered if this was the way that he always called agent he worked with, so frequently.

"That I am, Mister L. I was just about to prepare myself a cup of coffee before sitting down in front of the case files and tracking this bastard down. How are you feeling?"

"I am quite alright, Agent Talbot. However, I think I have discovered one of the possible victims that the killer will target within the next few murders."

As eager as she was to receive the news, Alex kept her calm and decided to lighten the tension a bit from the situation, after hearing how the detective hesitated briefly before answering. "Oh really? And has the brilliant L any intention of revealing who this poor soul is?"

L was taken back by the response. He hadn't expected her to joke around with this serious a matter. He had actually half hoped she had figured it out on her own, but decided that she had other things to occupy herself with that could distract her. "It isn't humorous, Agent Talbot. After pondering on the facts and thinking ahead in the killers footsteps, I believe I might have found the target for the following female victim." Of course, he omitted the fact that he had done so eating a grape flavored hard candy. What he had a problem with, however, was trying to find out a way to tell the woman without alarming her too much, to which she noticed his brief moment of silence and inquired further.

"So, Mister L…do you plan on telling me who this victim is anytime soon? We need to get her under protection as quickly as possible, to prevent her from being harmed." Thinking it was some important female public figure, she reasoned it was the best way to proceed.

"I don't mind at all telling you who it is, Miss Talbot. However, it would be unwise to alert security figures excessively and assign too much security to her. Think for a minute, if we were to do so, the killer would find out one way or another, and instead of doing all it takes to catch his prey, he might decide to choose someone else entirely. And then it would leave us back at nothing, especially since at the moment we don't know who the male figure that will be murdered next is."

Alex pondered and was surprised she had not thought of things that way. Taking yet another sip from her coffee, she asked the question that had still not been answered by the detective. "So, detective…you still didn't ask my question. Who is the next woman that will be targeted by this chaotic fiend?"

L was silent for a slight moment, which somewhat troubled the FBI agent. "L? You're not answering my question." She started to get nervous about the answer, hundreds of possibilities running through her mind, from the most surgically modified celebrity to a famous political femme, and back down to an innocent teenager trying to cope with the adolescent years.

The detective sighed for a moment and then proceeded to let her have the truth. "First of all, Miss Talbot, I understand completely the reaction to what I'm about to tell you, but you need to know that I have already taken some security measures that will be fairly…subtle. And know that alarming over the answer will not get you anywhere, and to be honest, I'd be annoyed if you did something to stall this case. Now, getting straight to the point…I have to say that unfortunately, I've deduced that the next female victim from the killer is…" he paused for a slight second, hesitating once more. What was wrong with him? It wasn't like he couldn't deliver bad news to people without any remorse. Was this woman growing on him somehow? It was impossible. Apart from Watari, L knew nothing of social interaction with other people, and he had no idea as to what could happen even if he did. Besides, maintaining his secrecy above all things was crucial to continue being the best detective in the world, and frankly, keep himself entertained.

On the other hand, Alex was numb, awaiting the infamous detective's answer on the other line. Her right hand was frozen in midair, holding her mug of coffee. She had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next, but as always, her inner, curious self acted for her. "L? Who is it?" At that point, she actually started to tremble, and she didn't even bother to wipe away the lock of raven hair that fell in front of her face.

Coming back to his senses, L realized he was just keeping the poor woman on a cruel level of suspense, and gave her the dreaded answer. "It's you, Miss Talbot. I'm sorry to say it, but it's you." At that point, he heard the agent let out a breath, and then silence.

Alex was stunned for a moment, she felt her heart skip a beat, was aware that the air in her lungs escaped her, and her body go into rigor. A split second later, she heard a crash at her feet, retreated back into herself and looked around for the source of the noise, to find that she let her favorite coffee mug fall to the floor.

Even through the tinny, high-pitched, modified voice coming in through the receiver, she detected concern in the detective's voice. "Miss Talbot, are you alright? Did anything happen?" L actually set down the piece of candy he was about to introduce into his mouth on the table and stood up, ignoring the slight pain that came from his back somewhat straightening.

"Uh, yes, I'm fine. Thank you. But I need to know, how did you figure it out?" Alex grabbed a couple of dish towels from the counter and knelt down to soak up the coffee, partially to keep her mind busy while L explained things to her, and partially to clean up before the coffee left an unsightly stain on the legs of her wooden table.

"Well, as I was pondering on the case earlier, I noticed that the killer might want to go ahead and take out two birds with one stone, as the saying goes, and both eliminate the biggest threat he knows of, and advance further in his sick game. So it was then that I realized that he was moving closer to Albany, and after the next male victim, of whom we unfortunately don't know the identity, he would go after you. But like I said, I have taken security precautions to prevent it." Having calmed down a little, L sat back on his chair in his usual position and popped the treat he had set down earlier into his mouth.

Although she wasn't too enthusiastic anymore about knowing who that victim was, Alex still tried to maintain composure and avoid panicking. "So, what are these security measures, and how soon will they get here? In the meantime, what shall I do to avoid drawing attention to myself?" by that moment, her voice faltered somewhat, and she let go of the dish towels she had been using to continue mopping the no longer existing coffee stain with while she got over her nerves, but the emotion got the best of her and she drew her right arm up to her head, ruffling her hair in the way she had done so whenever she was deeply troubled.

"Well, you have already met him, meaning Watari, and he is on his way right now to your apartment. As for your second question, I don't think it's smart to shy away from your daily routines and your work, as that would make you suspicious. Continue your life as normally as you can, but make sure you keep an eye over your shoulder. And do not, under any circumstance, mention it to any other person, do you understand? It might cause you to be kidnapped or hurt in some other premature way, and that would be very, very troublesome for me, alright?"

"Okay, but how is one single person going to protect me from this sadistic psychopath? And I see where you are coming from, but I can't go on living a normal life knowing a killer might be stalking me at every corner! That just won't do!" and getting upset about the whole matter, Alex shouted the last part into the receiver, to which L cringed on the other side. His speakers really were too loud, but it was a habit of his, making him feel like he had some company with him other than his mind and some sweets.

"I understand perfectly, Miss Talbot. But please, do no judge Watari by his looks. He is an extremely capacitated marksman, a master of disguise and he will also cater to every single one of your possible needs. But please, do not blow his cover, or everything will be ruined. And keep in mind, that this is the first time he leaves my side, so even if it sounds awkward, I need you to take care of him as well, if it isn't too much trouble. I'd like to see him back in one piece. For now, farewell Agent Talbot. I hope you can dissimulate while we work together to move closer to the culprit." And with that, the line went dead, and Alex was left holding the receiver to her ear, waiting for any more advice, but it never came.

She almost jumped when her phone rang again, the high pitched, annoying ringing she hated so much resonating right in her eardrums. "Hello?" she asked, a bit nervous, but hoping she didn't sound it.

It was her director, Gregory Andler, calling her from his office. "Talbot! Where have you been? We just got a call in from a civilian that found a body at the airport! And bad news…" he faltered for a second, to which Alex knew what he meant.

"The chaotic killer again?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Not only that, Talbot. The victim this time was one of our agents. A certain Bane Smith. I believe you knew him." He continued, before Alex had the chance to say anything, "I need you there now, Agent Talbot. I don't want to hear about any complaints either." And hung up the phone.

Alex was having difficulty coping with the revelation. This was the second stroke of bad news she had received in the same day! And to make matters worse, the victim this time was one of her own co-workers. And to turn her world upside down, it had been Bane! It was a cruel joke by the killer, targeting the man that supported her when all the other agents thought she had only gotten into the Bureau with her looks, and disregarded completely her intelligence. It was clearly a message, telling her that he could attack her physically and emotionally at will. This person was a true, cold-blooded person that just wanted to inflict misery upon others. Dismayed, Alex leaned back on her counter, feeling defeated. It just couldn't be happening. The people she maintained interpersonal contact with could be counted with one hand, and Bane had been the thumb. He had shown her the ropes in the Bureau, taught her certain skills that could help her both in the field and in the office, as well as supporting her when the sexism and jeers from lovesick male agents got too heavy for her to carry alone. He had been like a brother to her, and now he was gone forever. Dismay finally got the best of her and she slumped down on her tile floor, sobbing.

L had also gotten wind of the new information, and was surprised to see the killer had acted so quickly. Perhaps Bane Smith had been captured and imprisoned beforehand, while the killer set everything up, then killed quickly and dumped at the scene. It was possible, but in order to keep the FBI from finding out sooner about it, it would have to have been at most four days prior to his death, without considering the fact that there had to be some clues that might cause people to think he was still about, perhaps a report sent in a few days late, sending an artificial voice mail, or even emails. L deduced that if he figured out where agent Smith had gone during the week, he might know a little bit more about the events concerning his death and possibly find a lead to the killer. So the great detective picked up a glazed donut, gave it a lick, typed a few commands into his computer, and then pressed the com button to begin questioning people.

After a while, Alex's sobs were reduced to sniffles, and gaining her composure yet again, she slowly stood up and rubbed her swollen eyes. Taking a tissue from a shelf, she blew her nose and brushed her hair behind her ears. She walked over to her bathroom and turned on the faucet, letting the cool water run over her hands before she cupped her hands and rinsed her face. Raising her head to look at herself in the mirror, she noticed that her gray eyes had not lost their fierce determination just yet, and realized that it was do or die from now on for her. If it was so, she needed to continue investigating to catch the killer. If not, she would die herself. The battle had come to her home turf, and she was not going to let this psychopath get away with the atrocious crimes he was committing. She would win. The good guys always win.

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**A few things i should mention...Bane Smith is a fusion of Agent Smith from the Matrix, and the dude he turns into to get into the real world. And the last line of the chapter is quoted from L himself in the manga.**

**Anyway, hope the chapter wasn't too dissapointed. It could have been better, but I just really wanted to see it finished and move on with it, so don't be surprised if you see certain irregularities or you get lost. I hope that isn't the case though. Until next time!**


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